Trump to visit UK on June 22, day before EU referendum

Controversial US presidential front- runner Donald Trump has planned to visit the UK by two days to EU referendum.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures during a rally | AP

LONDON: Controversial US presidential front- runner Donald Trump has preponed his planned visit to the UK by two days to the eve of the June 23 EU referendum that will decide the future of Britain in the 28-member economic bloc.

The change in timing raises question whether Trump will meet UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who will be in the midst of campaigning to keep a sceptical British public from voting to leave the European Union.

Trump has expressed his views on the issue, calling on Britain to vote to leave the economic bloc.

The presumptive Republican candidate previously indicated he would visit his newly-refurbished hotel and golf course a day after the UK votes on its future within the EU.

The 69-year-old American billionaire will now travel to Scotland on June 22 to mark the official reopening of his Trump Turnberry hotel, which he had bought in 2014.

From there, Trump will travel to Aberdeen and then his Doonbeg golf resort in Co Clare, Ireland. His visit will coincide with US vice-president Joe Biden's trip to Ireland.

"On June 22 - I will be going to Scotland to celebrate the opening of the newly renovated @TrumpTurnberry Resort, the world's best," Trump told his 8.6 million Twitter followers.

"After @TrumpTurnberry I will be visiting Aberdeen, the oil capital of Europe, to see my great club, @TrumpScotland.

"After @TrumpScotland, I will visit @TrumpDoonbeg in Ireland, the magnificent resort fronting on the Atlantic Ocean. Then, on June 25th - back to the USA to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

Trump is expected to be officially confirmed as the Republican nominee in the race for the White House at the party's national convention in July, after seeing off a host of rivals in the primaries.

He has had a controversial campaign trail exchange with UK leaders.

Cameron had branded his remarks on the campaign trail to ban all Muslims entering the US as "divisive and wrong" and London mayor Sadiq Khan had also rebuffed Trump's offer to make an exception for him to be able to travel to the US.

Khan had reacted with an invitation of his own for Trump to come to London and "meet Londoners who are British, they're Londoners, they're Muslim".

Trump's arrival in Scotland is likely to be contentious given this backdrop.